How Long Shall Foreign Partners Keep Deaf Ear On Oppression In Uganda?

Photo: Kakwenza Rukirabashaija\YouTube Screenshot\Wikimedia Commons

It pains me to see my fellow countrymen and women being oppressed and terrorized by the current criminal government of despot Yoweri Museveni. For over three decades, he has presided over a murderous, torturous regime that has been marred by mass shootings, pogroms, kidnaps, enforced disappearances, and exiling of critics.

Despite this, foreign partners keep supporting him in total disregard of international laws and foreign policies.

The foreign partners were brave enough to get concerned about my situation when the Ugandan state made it a norm to harass me, and when I decided to flee to exile, it was made possible by them. That does not mean that since I am safe in Europe, I should not be concerned about my countrymen and women who are living in untold oppression back home.

All of us shall not go in exile, the dictator must go so that the country is safe for us all.

One of the most brutal laws that have been passed during Museveni’s regime is the anti-homosexuality law.

The law, which was first signed in 2014 and later annulled by the constitutional court, now reintroduced and signed again, criminalizes same-sex relationships, making it punishable by life imprisonment and or death. The law is not only against international laws but also violates basic human rights and does not test the standard for criminal law internationally. Sadly, foreign partners have issued rhetoric statements and also continue to support the government financially and militarily.

The billions of money borrowed from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, European Union, and other direct aid from the USA, Canada, UK, Europe, and others–is stolen. The government officials are known to embezzle funds meant for development projects, which has contributed to the stalling of the country’s development. Despite this, foreign partners continue to support the government, and some even turn a blind eye to the embezzlement of funds. Now the country is lumbering with a huge debt which can never be paid, but written off.

The relationship between governments must be bound by common values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Failure to sanction despot Museveni and his close criminals with whom he has held the country at ransom means complicity. Foreign partners who continue to support the criminal government despite the atrocities committed are not only going against international laws and foreign policies but are also supporting a regime that violates basic human rights.

The government has resorted to state terrorism against citizens in the name of quelling peaceful demonstrations and critics. The government has used excessive force, including live ammunition, to disperse peaceful protesters, leading to the loss of lives and injuries. This is a clear violation of human rights, and foreign partners who continue to support the government in such actions are contributing to the oppression of Ugandans.

There is no excuse for tolerating a despot who is terrorizing his own people. Foreign partners who support the regime are not only turning a blind eye to the atrocities committed but are also complicit in the oppression of Ugandans. It is high time that foreign partners take a stand and stop supporting a government that violates basic human rights and international laws to which Uganda is a signatory and must be subservient without ado.

Ugandans have a right to stay in their peaceful country, but the untold terrorism of the government makes us flee and seek refuge in other countries where the asylum process is a herculean task. It is a sad reality that we have to leave our homes and seek refuge in foreign lands due to the oppression and state terrorism.

Ugandans are tired of the West’s exploitation and hypocrisy. While foreign partners claim to support democracy and human rights, they continue to support a regime that violates both. It is time for foreign partners to practice what they preach and stop supporting a regime that oppresses its citizens.

Ugandans must rise up and chase the despot because we are on our own. It is time for us to take charge of our destiny and fight for our rights. We cannot continue to rely on foreign partners who turn a blind eye to the atrocities committed by the criminal government.

It is time for us to stand up and fight for our freedom and democracy.

Recognizing a terrorist called Museveni because he helps the USA to fight geo-political expediency wars while fighting terrorism in the horn of Africa and in the Middle East is hypocrisy. South Africans who suffered when the west financed the apartheid regime, are now ganging up the west and we shall soon liberate ourselves too and do the same.